The Economic Impact of Flexor Tendon Lacerations of the Hand in the United States

Abstract

Purpose: Flexor tendon lacerations are a common and debilitating injury for thousands of Americans annually. Despite this, no study has attempted to estimate the economic impact of these injuries. The objective of this study was to estimate the economic impact of flexor tendon lacerations in America.

Methods: The cost of flexor tendon lacerations to society was estimated using a validated prevalence-based cost of illness model. The primary cohort was defined as all patients in the United States presenting with complete flexor tendon lacerations who underwent surgical repair. The secondary cohort was defined by all patients who required reoperation within 1 year of their initial operation. For these groups, both direct and indirect costs (lost income, missed workdays, and disability payments) were measured.

Results: Flexor tendon lacerations incur an estimated cost of between US $240.8 and US $409.1 million annually to the American medical system. The total direct cost per injury is estimated to be US $13,725, whereas estimates to the indirect costs range from US $60,786 to US $112,888.

Conclusions: Flexor tendon lacerations represent an important economic burden to our health care system, even when compared with other common hand conditions. Specifically, indirect costs, such as missed workdays, are the major contributor toward the total cost these injuries incur on society, accounting for upward of 89% of the total cost. This suggests that we should focus our efforts to improve treatments and rehabilitation protocols which decrease these indirect costs.